1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to device testing. In particular, the invention relates to a debug vector launch tool.
2. Description of Related Art
Testing of semiconductor devices typically involves applying test vectors to the device under test (DUT) and comparing the resulting outputs with the expected data. Sophisticated testers such as electron beam tester or microscope-based instrument allow the users to examine semiconductor device in detail. Although these testers provide useful test information, they present a number of problems in an engineering laboratory environment. First, they are expensive, and therefore, are not suitable in an engineering lab environment. Second, they are difficult to use, typically requiring some investment in training. Third, they are not flexible enough to allow the design engineers to focus on only one area of concern of the DUT.
During the design and manufacturing process, design engineers generally prefer to have a simple debugging tool to verify the performance of the device in the first production run to ensure that basic design parameters are met. For this objective, the use of sophisticated testers is not only an overkill, but also slows down the debugging process.
Therefore, there exists a need for an efficient and inexpensive debug tool to assist design engineers to perform device testing during the early phase of the production cycle.